grindle



A'dg. 18, 1925.

A. J. GRlNDLE POWDERED MATERIAL LEVEL INDICATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 18 1925.

A. J. GRINDLE POWDERED MATERIAL LEVEL,INDICATING DEVICE 2 S efLS-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1923 Patented Aug. '18, 1925.

UNITED STATES teases? PATENT OFFICE.

AUBREY J. GRINDLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS-SIGNOR T GRINDLE FUEL EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIDN OF ILLINOIS.

IOWDEREID-MATERIAL-LEVEL-INDICATING DEVICE.

Application filed rebrumy s, .1923. Serial No. erase.

. following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus of the general type illustrated bymy prior patent application No. 440,007, filed January 26, 1021, for distributing powdered material from a central-station to various sub-stations. The invention itself is a device by which. the powdered material in a tank as, for instance, the one at a sub-station in such a system operates mechanism outside the tank for some useful purpose, one example of'whichlighting a lampis shown in the drawings. The object of the invention is to provide mechanism of this class which can be so applied to a powdered material tank that'it operates accurately for the purpose desired, without any of the parts of the mechanism being in danger of injury.

The invention consists in means for attaining the foregoing objects; which can be easily and cheaply made; is satisfactory in use and is not readily liable to get of order.

More particularly, the invention consists in many features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation largely in section of mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a sectional detail View on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3' is a plan view on the line of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sideelevation of a switch mechanism taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views of the mechanism of this invention appliedto a powdered material receptacle, the parts being in difierent positions which they as sume in the course of operating to perform the functions desired.

This application is, in its essential elements', a continuation of the structure shown and described in Figures 11 and 12 of said prior application No. 440,007, but not there claimed. For theconvenience of the reader in identifying the parts of the present drawings which are in function identical with those of the prior application, numerals be low 138 used herein are here applied as in said prior application; while numerals 151-11 and above refer to new features or modifications not specifically shown or referred to in said earlier application.- For the same reason, the early part of the specification follows quite closely the description ofthe parts below 138 in the specification of said original application N 0. 440,007.

The device is secured to a wall and on the interior of a powdered material containinghopper 35 whose condition is to be indicated, and comprises a box-like casing 111, having trap doors 112 and 113 at its top and bottom, respectively. The doors are pivoted upon shafts 114 and 115 projecting through the wall 110 of the hopper to its exterior. An inwardly extending flange 114' is formed on the inside of the upper tn; of casing 111, and a flange 119 is formed in th lower end of the casing. When the doors 112and 113 arc'closed, they abut against the lower sides of flanges 117 and 110. respectively.

To prevent the passage of fuel lying on top of the door 112 before the door has moved a certain minimum distance, a curved surface 120 is formed in the inside of the casing 111 in such a position as to lie cloi'sel adjacent to the path of travel of the edge of the door 112 as it opens. To prevent fuel. falling into the casing 111 as it is delivered to the hopper. a. shield 12.1 is placed'a the top of t is casing. To keep the t and 113 ncri'nally closed, each shaft 115 is-provided with a weighterl are: 124, each arm carrying a w i A sector-shaped block \n. 1 material, secured between a pair o 128, is secured to the shaft 114 and 11 upon a portion of its edge i met. tactmember 129. A secon conta 1 130, carried by a block 1.31 of insnla terial, is positioned to make cont ct the edge of the sector-shaped block 12'? the door 11.2 is closed, as shown in Fig and to contact with the contact insult-v.

as shown in Figure 6 when the door opens.

The block 181 is secured to the exterior of the wall of the hopper, and carries binding posts 132 and 133. Binding post 132 directly supports spring contact 130 and post'133 is in constant communication with contact 129 through a spring 130. A cover 136, shown in Figure 4 may be placed over the contacts, if desired.

When the level of fuel in the hopper is as shown in Figure somewhat below the range of movement of the edge of the door 113, any fuel 1 10 which has found access'to the interior of the casing 111 will, by its weight on door 118, overbalance weight 126 and bedischarged, leaving the casing empty, whereupon the door 113 automatically closes. Fuel subsequently delivered to the hopper cannot fall into the top of the casing 111 and onto door 112 because of shield 121. WVhen, however, the hopper bccomes nearly full, the fuel angle between the outer edge 142 of the shield 12 1 and the outer edge 117 of the top of the casing 111 beingless than the angle of repose of the material, the aw will, as indicated in Fig ure 6, slide into the casing. The fuel thus received by the door 112 will, as shown in Figure6, overbala'nce the. weight 125 and open door 112, thus bringing contacts 129 and 130 together, thus closing electric circuit 184 through lamp 150 and battery 152 to light the lamp and show the operator that hopper 35 is full. Any other electric current operated device'may be substituted for lamp 150 without departing from the invention.

The device of the drawings improves upon that of said original patent application principally in that the flanges 117 and 119 are made as integral parts of the casing 111 instead of by the use of separate angle irons;

in that the curved surface 120 is formed in casting the case 111 and that the cover 121 is formed as a suitable casting instead of by merely bending a sheet of metal. The weights which control the doors 112 and 113 are quite obviously adjustable along the lever arms which carry them by the use of the set screws 156. By properly positioning these weights, the devicemay be adjusted to take care of powdered materials havingwidely different specific gravities.

-I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In mechanism. of the class described, in combination with a hopper for powdered material, a small receptacle, open top and bottom therein, a downwardly opening selfclosing door at each of said openings, a cover open at its side to material in the hopper but protecting the upper door from material falling into the hopper, and means extending from the upper door outside the hopper, there operating a selected electrical device.

2. In mechanism of the class described, in

combination with a hopper for powdered AUBREY J. GRINDLE. 

